I Know
by wickedgoodtime
Summary: It's been almost four years since Kakashi and Sorami started dating. It's been three years since Naruto left. And it's been two years since the end of "Shooting Stars". War is coming. After everything Sorami has been through, she can survive this, right?... right? KakashixOC (SEQUEL to Shooting Stars).
1. Chapter 1

"Hoshi!"

"What?!" He complained.

I ducked, just missing being hit with his kunai.

He laughed nervously, "Hehe… sorry, cripple-sensei…"

I sighed. Would he ever grow out of that name? "You need to throw with more force. When I was your age, my kunai would have had enough force that I wouldn't have been able to dodge that."

"But you're faster than me."

"And so is Yamako. And Keikanoo will be soon. Which is why you need to improve at least your strength."

"Can't you just help me with genjutsu?"

"You can't only rely on genjutsu, Hoshi. I want you to be able to defend yourself in hand-to-hand combat."

He sighed.

"Hoshi. You can do this. You just need practice."

"Yeah yeah."

"I will use you as target practice, Hoshi," I threatened.

He gulped before going back to practice.

I recognized Kakashi's chakra coming into the training ground and turned around. I smiled seeing him. "Hello there."

"Yo."

Hoshi turned, "Neh? Hey Kakashi-san!"

I tossed a kunai in his direction and heard him give out a small scream. "Get back to work." I turned to Kakashi. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you."

I raised a brow. "What's going on, Kakashi?"

He smiled, "Just come with me. There's something you should see."

"Hey, hey! Can I come?!"

"No!" I yelled as Kakashi nodded.

"Kakashi-san is my favorite!"

I glared at him.

"I-I mean… uh… I love you… Sorami-sensei…?"

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, come along, Hoshi."

He gave a whoop and followed behind Kakashi and I.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Well, you're going to go get dinner. Then meet me at home."

I frowned, "I thought you were going to _show _me…"

"Nope. You'll see on your own."

I glanced back at Hoshi. "Hoshi! Am I buying you dinner as well?"

His face brightened. "Sure, Cripple-sensei!"

Kakashi coughed, trying not to laugh and I smacked his head.

"What do you want?" I asked Kakashi as we reached the main road.

"… Ramen sounds good, right now." He kissed my cheek. "I'll see you back at the house. Hoshi, you're not invited over tonight."

"Awe man. You guys are going to be having sex, aren't you?"

I blushed. "H-Hoshi! Shut up, you punk. You're fourteen! What do you know about that topic?!"  
>"Just that the two of you are loud," he snickered.<p>

"HOSHI!"

"Neh?!" His eyes widened and he took off towards Ichiruka's as I chased him through the streets.

"Get back here, you little punk! I'm going to kill you!"

"Oh look! Witnesses! Protect me!" He yelled diving into the stand.

I dove in after him and grabbed him by the back of his neck, "Hoshi!"

"Ane-chan?!"

I spun my head to see Naruto and Sakura sitting on the bar stools. I released Hoshi and pulled Naruto too me, hugging him tightly. "Naruto! You're back! When did you get back?!"

He smiled, "A few hours ago!"

I hugged him again, "I missed you! How was your training? What did you learn? You have to tell me all about it!"

"Neh… don't you have to be getting back to Kakashi-san?" Hoshi said from behind me.

"Why would you have to get back to Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

I hit my head against the counter. "Hoshi, I hate you."

"I know," He pouted.

"Why don't we discuss that tomorrow, eh, Naruto?" I ordered my food.

"… Alright…So who're you?" Naruto asked Hoshi.

"Hoshi Nagawa. I'm her favorite student."

"You wish, punk. I'd pick Keikanoo over you any day."

"Neh?! You're so mean to me, cripple-sensei?!"

"Cripple… sensei…?"

"Don't even ask, Naruto."

Ayame handed me the bowls of ramen.

I hugged Naruto again. "I'll find you tomorrow, Naruto. Goodbye, Sakura."

"Bye, Sorami-san."

"Hoshi!" I called. "Come on, let's get you home!"

"But senseeeiiii."

"Hoshi!"

"Fine. Coming, coming. Later, Naruto-kun, Sakura-san."

"Bye, Hoshi," Sakura said.

I stopped in the doorway seeing Kakashi laying on the bed reading. "That's a new book."

"Yes. Yes it is."

I smiled, "Are we-"

"Yes. Yes we are."

I bit my lip, walking to the bed and straddling his legs. I pulled the book from his hands gently and set it on the table, kissing him.

His hands resting on my lower back as he pressed his lips into mine.

"Kami, I love you…"

I growled as someone jumped on the bed and peaked open one eye. I groaned rolling onto my stomach and glancing at the clock. "Hoshi, it is 6 in the morning. What do you want?"

"Yamako came back from her mission!"

"That's great. We'll go see her later. She's probably asleep."

"Nope, I just saw her walking home!"

"So why didn't you say hi and let me say hi later."

"Because you're her _sensei_," He whined.

I buried my face in my pillow. Maybe if I tried hard enough I'd suffocate and not have to deal with Hoshi.

"Cripple-senseiiiiiii!"  
>I rolled back over, silently wondering where Kakashi was and why he didn't stop Hoshi from barging into the room. I rarely got a full night's sleep and when I did, I didn't want to be woken up by Hoshi. Or anyone. But especially not Hoshi. "How about this, you let me sleep, and tonight when Keikanoo's shift is over at the hospital, we'll all go get some food. It'll be just like old times."<p>

"Really?!"

I nodded.

"Okay! I'll go tell them!"  
>"Mmkay, have fun with that." He started to run out the door and I sat up, "Hey, Hoshi, where's Kakashi?"<p>

"Um, I dunno. I think I saw him heading towards the stone!"

I sighed. "Okay. Don't forget we have a mission report to turn in! Come back here in a few hours so we can go deliver it!"

"I will! Bye, cripple-sensei!"

I rolled my eyes, lying back down in bed. I laid there staring at the ceiling for several minutes before giving up on finding sleep and getting up. I still had to write the mission report anyway. I yawned, prepping up a pot of tea for myself. I slowly wrote up the report from the mission.

My genin had grown up in the past few years, all had been made chunin within the first year of their training. Keikanoo had started training at the hospital a few months after making chunin though he still went out on missions. Yamako surprised all of us. Since she was so quiet and shy we never expected her to become one of the best fighter's on our team. She was deadly in speed and aim although she could still get into trouble because she never planned anything. Hoshi stayed by my side as I gave him special training to help with his kekkei genkai. We still went on missions as a team but they were becoming increasingly rare. Now, for me, it was usually solo missions or something with Hoshi. Once in a while I went out with Mamoru as well.

I yawned again, finishing up the report and chugging down the rest of my tea. I rinsed the cup and put it away before walking up to my room to put on some real clothing. I packed up my kunai and shruiken. After Hoshi and I dropped off the report, I planned on training some more with my own kekkei genkai.

"Neh, cripple-sensei!"

I frowned. "Hoshi! I told you to leave me alone for a few-"

"It's already 10 though…"

"Oh… Okay, I'll be down in a minute." I tightened the cloth around my waist and readjusted my mask before heading down the stairs. Hoshi was standing impatiently by the door.

"Finally."

I rolled my eyes, "Don't be such a punk."

We walked out the door and Hoshi walked backwards down the street. I could sense his chakra spreading out around him as he used it to be sure he wouldn't run into anyone or anything. "So are we going to train today? You promised you'd teach me Akiyo's go to genjutsu."

"No."

"But senseiii…"

"I need to work on my own kekkei genkai today. I'll help you later. Besides, we're leaving tonight on another mission."

He groaned loudly as we reached the tower and walked in. "Pleeeeaaaase, sensei?"

"No. You're not the only one who needs to train, Hoshi. Why don't you work on your kunai throwing?"

"Because I already _have_. For the last _week_."

"And you still need practice. Until you can throw with enough force to not give me time to block, you'll keep practicing."

He frowned, "Why do I need kunai when I can use the bow and genjutsu."

I smacked him, "Because what happens when you're stuck in hand to hand combat."

"I knee the guy in the nose, slam my elbow into his spine and the punch his stomach and break his neck."

"Good luck doing that without getting stabbed."

He stuck his tongue out at me. "Anyway, what's our new mission?"

"Simple recon. Just have to check out some stories of bandits causing trouble."

"Seriously? I'm putting my training on hold for _that_? I might as well be a genin again."

"It's an important mission, Hoshi. Maybe we'll work on some things during the journey."

"I bet I could take out the bandits with my genjutsu and bow, cripple-sensei."

"I bet I could take you out with a kunai from half a mile away, punk."

"Blah blah blah blah blah!"

"Hoshi!" I yelled as he sprinted down the hall, "Self control! Kami, how many times do I have to tell you!" He ran into the Hokage's office. "Hoshi!"

"The door was open!"

I smacked his head.

"Hoshi and Sorami, your mission is temporarily on hold. You will join up with Team Kakashi, as well! Leave immediately!"

Naruto practically sprinted out of the room, followed by Sakura. Kakashi and I transported back to the house, bringing Hoshi.

"Kakashi, explain. What's going on?" I asked, stuffing kunai into my belt and clipping my katanas on my back.

"It seems Akatsuki has taken the Kazekage. They're requesting the leaf's help."

I stopped, half way through sorting my bag. "Akatsuki… is it really a good idea to send Naruto then?" I asked.

"They need immediate help. There's no time to be picky."

"But if they're hunting jinchuriki, as they certainly are if they've taken Gaara, it's like we're just handing them what they want."

H kissed me through our masks as he clipped his belt on. "He'll be okay. Let's go." He walked out of the room, calling for Hoshi.

I sighed, making sure I had my new storage scroll. I placed it against my forehead for a moment, "Please don't make me need this…"

"Time to go, Ami!"

I grabbed my backpack and ran down the stairs, tugging my gloves on and the three of us took off towards the gates. Lady Tsunade, Iruka, Naruto and Sakura were already there.

"Ready?" Kakashi asked them.

"Okay, we're off now."

"We'll be back, Lady Tsunade," Sakura said.

"Right."

"Naruto, good luck!"

"Thanks."

We didn't take more than three steps before Jiraya appeared in front of us all. "Hey! Are you off on a mission now, Naruto?"

"That's right!"

"Oh, more importantly. Tsunade, I've got some information for you. The Kazekage of the hidden sand…"

"I know. I'm just about to send them off to the Sand now."

Naruto nodded and Jiraya turned to Tsunade, whispering to her before walking back towards us, "Naruto, come here for a second."

"Hm?"

Jiraya walked back towards us after a few moment, whispering to Kakashi and I, "Kakashi, Sorami, keep an eye on Naruto and make sure he doesn't do anything too reckless. I'm counting on you two, okay?"

"Okay," I said and Kakashi smiled and nodded.

"Kakashi-sensei, Ane-chan, Sakura, Hoshi, let's go," Naruto called.

"H-Hey! Wait up!" Sakura and Hoshi ran after them and I started walking.

"Well, we're off," Kakashi said.


	2. Chapter 2

It only took about a day and a half for us to get to Suna with Naruto's racing and immediately ran too the hospital to help Kankuro.

"Damn you! Prepare to defend yourself!"

I turned around to see an old lady preparing to attack Kakashi and raised a brow.

"What do you think you're doing, attacking Kakashi-sensei like that?! You wrinkly old prune!" Naruto asked making a clone.

"I haven't forgotten what you did. I've waited for this day, White Fang of the Leaf. The day I wreak vengeance on you for what you did to my son!"

"No, no, no, you see. I'm not-"

"That's enough talk!"  
>"Take a closer look at the man, sis," A man said stopping her. "It's true there's a resemblance, but this one is not the White Fang."<p>

"Hello," Kakashi said.

I coughed in an attempt to hide my laugh.

"Besides, as you know, the White Fang of the Leaf died long ago. Remember? When you heard the news, you wept in frustration because it meant you would never have your vengeance. Isn't that so, sis?"

"Oh, well nevermind," She said laughing.

I raised a brow at the old woman, slightly questioning her sanity.

"What just happened?" Hoshi asked.

I opened my mouth to respond but Kankuro started struggling in the hospital bed.

"Here, let me take a look at him," Sakura said, pulling her hair up.

"Yes, please."

"Listen, it might help if you all clear out and give us some room."

"You got it Sakura," Naruto said as we all walked out.

The rest of us gather just outside of the room. I sat beside Kakashi and rested my head on his shoulder. I felt his hand rest gently on mine and rub his thumb over my knuckle.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, who the heck is this White Fang of the Leaf guy that made the old lady so angry. Got any idea?" Naruto asked.

"That's a tricky one… How to put it? He was…well in a word… he was my father."

"You there? You're the son of thee White Fang?" The old lady from before asked.

"Yeah."

"So that's it. That explains why you look like him."

Kakashi laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

I yawned, closing my eyes for a moment.

Kakashi gave me a slightly worried look, probably concerned about how much sleep I was getting. I waved my hand at him.

"Neh, cripple-sensei, can I go look around Suna? I've never been here before?"

"What?! No!"

"But senseiiii…"

"Hoshi, you're on a mission, be mature."

He groaned, sitting down against the wall.

"Ane-chan, why does Hoshi call you cripple?"

"Because she is one!"

I rolled my eyes, "I was injured on a mission just a few weeks before getting my team so I was on crutches when I first started with them."

"You got injured?!"

"Yes, that sometimes happens when you're a ninja, Naruto."

He frowned.

A few minutes later, the door opened.

"Way to go, Sakura!" Naruto said as we walked back in.

Temari leaned back against the wall and I walked over to her. "Hey, Temari, breathe."

She glanced up at me and I smiled.

"Just breathe. Sakura will take good care of him. He'll be okay."

She nodded slowly.

"Breathe."

"But he's not completely out of the woods yet. Now then, I have to quickly put together an antidote for the traces of toxins still remaining in his body."

"I see, anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

"Well, first I'll need a list of all the medicinal herbs you have in the village," Sakura said.

I smiled, seeing how much she had improved, especially since she had helped with my own healing process.

"Yes at once."

"And we should trade these bandages for new ones."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'll need an IV drip set up stat. Oh and be sure to set apart a small portion of the toxin I took out. I'll be needing it later."

"You remind me of the old slug queen Tsunade," the old lady said. "Isn't it strange, you turning up in our village like this."

"Well, after all it is Lady Tsunade is my teacher. And it was by her order that I personally came here."

"Here's that list of medicinal herbs," the nurse from before said as she walked back into the room.

"Good thank you very much."

"Keep in mind, sister, that the river of time keeps flowing right by us."

I glanced over at Kakashi and Naruto, seeing Kakashi with a scroll. I slowly stood and walked over. "What is it?"

"It seems Team Gai is on it's way here as back up."

I smiled, "Oh good, I was worried I hadn't seen your eternal rival in a while."

"Bushier brow-sensei's team? I can't wait to see how they've all changed," Naruto said. "I hear even Neji's been made a jonin… well alright! No sense waiting around for them to get here! Let's go after the Akatsuki right now!" He started running off.

"Okay, but which way are they going?" Kakashi asked. "Do you even know where they are?"

Naruto froze and I laughed as he turned around sheepishly. "Uh… no…"

"If you don't mind me asking, what have been the results of your attempts so far to pursue the Akatsuki?"

"First, Kankuro went after them by himself… and you see what happened to him… Then we dispatched a tracking unit in pursuit but we haven't heard back from them. And there's another problem. It appears that Captain Yura, one of our counsel advisors, has gone missing. We don't even know if he's alive."

"So you have no trace of them then?" I asked.

"None at all."

I frowned and glanced over at Kakashi who seemed to be frowning as well.

Kakashi glanced towards me, "Do you think-"

"No. They're too far away by this point. They'd need to be in the same room and even then it's unlikely."

Naruto looked between the two of us. "Huh? What are you two-"

"Lord Baki, Kankuro has regained consciousness."

"Kankuro, are you alright?" Temari asked.

"Temari, you're back already."

"I heard the village was in trouble."

"I'm sorry… to be such a bother."

"Shut up. Don't be ridicules."

"Can you lead me to where Kankuro's fight with the Akatsuki took place?" Kakashi asked.

"Hm?"

"I'm known for having a pretty good nose for tracking. If any trace of their scent remains on the scene-"

"There's no need for that," Kankuro said sitting up slowly. "Where are my puppets? I assume my puppets were recovered, right?"

"One fought with me, the other one carried Gaara away," Kankuro said once they'd brought his puppet. "You might be able to follow Gaara's scent but you can defiantly track the one I fought. I made sure of it. You see, I've got his scent right here. The last thing I did, was make sure I got a scrap of his clothing."

"Even in defeat you went down fighting. Just what I'd expect from a sand shinobi."

Kankuro grabbed his side.

"Kankuro, what's wrong?" Temari asked.

He looked up at Naruto.

"Yes, he came all the way from the leaf village to help us."

"Is that… Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Hey there."

"I see."

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" Kakashi said.

"At your service. Eight ninja hounds."

I smiled, seeing Pakkun. It had been a long time since I'd seen him around.

"Hey! Pakkun!"

"Is that you, Naruto? Long time no see."

"Woah! Look at you. You haven't changed a bit!"

"You haven't either."

"Huh, what're you talking about? I'm a lot taller for one thing."

"Alright alright. Let's skip the reunion. I need you guys to get on this right away," Kakashi said showing the dogs the piece of cloth.

"Find out which way he went, okay? Go on."

"We'll let you know when we find something."

"They won't let us down."

It was quiet for a minute.

"Okay! We move out as soon as Pakkun and his posy get back! So I say we start getting ready!" Naruto yelled.

I grabbed his shoulder lightly. "Naruto…" I said quietly, "You need to rest. You're no good to anyone if you're exhausted…"

"Kankuro."

"Lady Chiyo and Lord Abizou? You're here?"

"There's something we must know and only you can tell us. Am I correct in thinking that one of you opponents, the one you fought with, was Sasori?"

Kankuro looked away.

"Well, speak up, Kankuro."

"Yes, Sasori or the Red Sand. He told me so himself."

"Sasori of the Red Sand, huh? I get the feeling you know something about these Akatsuki," Kakashi said. "Will you tell us?"

"That's right, drink it all," Sakura said, making Kankuro drink the antidote to the poison.

Kankuro coughed.

"There, you should be all right now. Just lie back and rest. And don't move around until the numbness passes."

"All of you are going to need rest as well from your journey."

"But-but we've got to go after Gaara."

"Thanks, we'll take you up on you offer. We may have to travel far and fast tomorrow," Kakashi said.

Naruto frowned. "You need rest," I said.

He sighed but nodded. "Okay, you win."

We started to leave.

"Naruto… save my little brother, will you?" Kankuro asked quietly.

"Don't worry. I will. After all, I'm going to be Hokage one day and for now the Kazekage can just owe me one."

* * *

><p>Wow so I already got a review! Thank you so much to HarukoHyuga! I'm really glad you enjoy the story, I'll try and keep them coming fairly often :)<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

"Neh, sensei, why is Naruto so worried about the Kazekage?" Hoshi asked.

I glanced towards him. "That's… complicated…"

Baki was showing us to the inn we would be staying at. Naruto and Sakura were following closely behind him while Hoshi, Kakashi, and I hung back a bit.

"They met during the chunin exams the year before yours… Lord Gaara was different back then. He had an unquenchable bloodlust derived from years of living alone and being hated… I suppose Naruto saw that as a similarity they shared and he showed Lord Gaara that wasn't a way to live."

Hoshi frowned, watching Naruto. "I feel… like there's more than that…"

I tensed.

"But okay," he continued.

"How many rooms will you all need?"

"Two," I said at the same time Kakashi said, "Three."

I glanced at him and raised a brow. I noticed his eyes wandering and shook my head.

He sighed, "Two."

"Hoshi, go catch up with Lord Baki and Naruto and Sakura. I need to talk to Kakashi."

He nodded, speeding up his pace.

"Why only two?"

I rolled my eyes, "We don't need to take more rooms than needed. And we need our sleep. We'll never get that if we lock ourselves in a room alone."

He kissed my temple. "You're too rational."

"I need to be with you acting the way you do. Why everyone thinks you're so smart and collected, I'll never know."

He smiled innocently and I rolled my eyes. "You'll be okay though?"

"I'll be fine. I can deal with the nightmares, they're getting rare anyway. If I can survive you being gone on missions, I can survive one night in a room with Sakura."

He nodded. "If you need anything-"

"Kakashi," I warned, "stop hovering. I'm fine."

"Sensei!"

"Hoshi! Kami! Can you knock first!" I yelled, throwing a pillow at him since Sakura was in the middle of changing.

"Gah! Sorry! Sorry! But, Pakkun's back!"

I jumped up off my bed, running out the door, shoving the pillow back into Hoshi's face as I ran into their room. "Time to go?"

Kakashi turned and nodded.

I smiled under my mask. "Good."

The five of us made our way to the front gates of Suna.

"Seems we'll be working in conjunction with a squad from the Sand Village. As soon as they're here, we'll head out," Kakashi said.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Temari!"

"We should get going," I said.

"There's no time to waste let's get this show on the road," Naruto said.

"Wait," Baki said, jumping next to us. "Temari you and your team are to stay here and patrol the perimeter."

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Orders… from above. If word gets out that our Kazekage is missing, our enemies may use it as an opportunity to launch an attack on the village."

"Don't you get it! That's all the more reason we have to get him back as quickly as we can! Look at these leaf ninja. They left their village and came all the way here just to help rescue Gaara. And Gaara's not even their leader. He's our Kazekage. The _Sand_ shinobi should be the ones to save him!" Temari practically yelled.

"I'm sorry."

"Well, I'm going!"

We all looked up to see Chiyo.

"If a Sand shinobi is needed then I'm the one to go," She said.

"Granny Chiyo?"

"But…but you're so…"

"I'm retired yes… which means of course I'm free to do whatever I want."

"But the journey will be difficult."

"Don't treat me like a fossil!"

She jumped down from the building.

"What the…?!"

"After all, it's been a long time since I've seen my grandson."

"Alright, we'll head out on our own then," Kakashi said.

"Thank you. I'll try to convince the council to change their mind," Baki said.

"Don't worry," Temari said. "We'll catch up with you."

"My the time you can catch up with us, we'll have already rescued Gaara."

"We'll see soon," Sakura said before we all ran towards where Pakkun said Akatsuki was.

It had been several hours since we left the city and we'd had been nearly silent. I had activated my kekkei genkai when we left the village in order to notice any foreign chakra.

"Naruto, can I ask you a question?" Sakura asked. "How long do you think the Akatsuki have been after you?"

"I don't know."

"Two members came to the leaf looking for Naruto a while ago," I said.

"But it's been three years since then with no sign of them. And now they're back," Kakashi continued.

"Why do you think they waited so long to make their next move?"

"It could be that they wanted to act before this but for some reason they couldn't. Maybe because Jiraya was around and they didn't want to face him."

"That's _not_ it," Chiyo said. I looked towards her. "From what I learned, there was an entirely different reason they had to wait this long."

"What reason?" Naruto asked.

"If you're going to try to draw out the beast the dwells within, a great deal of preparation is involved. They just needed some more time."

Hoshi glanced towards me. "Tailed… beasts…?"

"What are you talking about? What tailed beasts?"

"My my you're a student of that slug queen Tsunade and you don't even know that? When the Leaf itself is home to the nine tailed fox."

"The nin tailed fox spirit is not something we talk about," Kakashi said. "It's considered top secret."

"Really?"

"Well, not surprising I guess. Tailed beasts are demon spirits with one or more tails. The Sand have had a single tailed beast since long ago. That's the Shukaku sealed within Gaara."

"There's more then?" Hoshi asked.

"Oh yes, there are a total of nine of them in the world. Each with distinct characteristics and each with a different number of tails. The beasts are huge concentrations of chakra and during the great war, every nation competed for control of them for military purposes. They fought relentlessly over them, but the tailed beasts' powers were beyond human imagination. NO one could control them. I don't know the intentions of the Akatsuki but that power is far too much for anyone to get ahold of. Eventually with the coming of peace the tailed beasts were forgotten, but nevertheless, they still exist all nine of them scattered all over the world."

Hoshi looked towards me, "Did Yukigakure have one?"

I frowned, "I suppose they used to… when they served as a ninja village, but I would guess they gave it away to an ally during the Second Shinobi War, since they stopped training ninja just after I was born. I never looked into it, though."

"Kakashi… I can feel another chakra."

He glanced towards me, "Do you recognize it?"

I frowned, "…Yes. It's-" I turned to him, "Kakashi-"

"Everybody stop!"

"Itachi Uchiha," Naruto growled.

I glared towards him before glancing down towards Hoshi. "You remember our training? For fighting the sharingan?" I whispered.

"Yes."

I smiled, "Now would be the time to use it. We'll see if you've improved at all."

"So," Chiyo said, stepping forward, "That's the one… the child who wiped out his entire clan."

"Kakashi, Naruto, Sorami, it's been a while…"

"I wasn't enough for you, huh?! You had to go after Gaara. I'll destroy every last one of you!"

"Watch his feet," I said. "If you catch his eye you'll get stuck in his genjutsu."

"Itachi's genjutsu is a visual jutsu, which means, avoid eye contact with him and his jutsu can't take effect," Kakashi said.

I closed my eyes completely, focusing more chakra to my active points to sense any movement.

"Yeah, that I know," Naruto said.

"Okay but how are we supposed to fight him?" Sakura asked.

"That's the tricky part. Like Sorami said, watch his feet and anticipate his moves."

"But that's like fighting with one arm behind your back!"  
>"The Uchiha clan, eh?" Chiyo said. "It's been a long time since I've gone up against a sharingan." We all looked towards her, surprised. "Don't look so surprised! I've been around, and I know there's more than one way to fight a visual jutsu like that."<p>

"Yeah, like what then?"

"If one against one, abandon the field. If two against one take the rear and he'll yield."

"What's that mean?"

"One on one, Naruto, the sharingan is near unbeatable," I said, making him glance towards me. "But if out numbered, while one of you is trapped in the genjutsu, the other can attack from behind and break the genjutsu, or strike their own team member, also breaking the genjutsu."

"That's right," Chiyo said. "So while one of us fights him face to face as a distraction, the rest of us will mount a series of attacks from the rear where his sharingan can't reach."

"Good plan."

"Let's go," Naruto said. "I'll take the rear-"

"Wait," Kakashi ordered.

"Okay, sensei, we're waiting! But what are we waiting for?!"

"Do you have a problem with my way of fighting the sharingan? Are you suggesting my methods won't work?" Chiyo asked.

"Lady Chiyo, with all due respect, you haven't had to fight _this_ particular sharingan… Itachi's sharingan is… different." I said.

"Sorami's right. Your way may work fine against ordinary genjutsu, but what we're dealing with here is much more complicated."

"Meaning what?"

"He uses mangekyou sharingan. It's far more powerful than any other visual jutsu. It only takes a second, but if he hits you with that jutsu, it'll be the longest second you ever lived. Time gets warped. What seems like a second in the real world can be hours or days for someone trapped in his jutsu. I know. I wandered around in it for three days and lost consciousness for more than a week. It's not a genjutsu that can be broken just like that."

"That does sound tricky. What a troublesome fellow this is."

"Very good, Kakashi. I see your time in my tsukuyomi wasn't wasted."

"Oh believe me, I learned something else as well. There's a price to pay for using that sharingan. It exhausted you, didn't it? You had to quit before the battle was over. So in addition to using up a lot of chakra, you risk permanent damage to your eyes every time you use that jutsu, don't you, Itachi?"

"You seem to have learned a great deal from our one brief encounter."

"I wonder… just how much damage has already been done to your eyesight." I felt his chakra gathering in his left eye. "I'll admit, I underestimated you. But I am not the fool I used to be. Things aren't going to go the same way this time. I promise you that."

"And don't go thinking I'm the same kid either! A lot of things have changed since then!" Naruto yelled.

"Naruto, leave him to me."

"Not again! Not the kind of teamwork where we sit back and do nothing!"

"No. This time, you'll cover me. I wish I could say you guys just go on ahead, I can handle this alone… but I never make the same mistake twice."


	4. Chapter 4

"Naruto, are you alright?!" Kakashi asked.

"Wha-What happened?"

"You were caught in a genjutsu, but you're going to be fine. We all funneled our chakra into you and broke the hold."

"I don't get it," Naruto said. "Where did his shadow clones go?"

"Neh… he hasn't made any shadow clones, Naruto…" Hoshi said.

"Yeah, all of a sudden you just freaked out and started shooting your rasengan at nothing. Don't you remember any of that?"

"You're saying… I was already in the genjutsu?"

"It seems Itachi's not relying solely on his visual genjutsu…" I murmured.

"I think it's about time for the main event. Better get it together, Naruto," Kakashi said.

"Hey, snap out of it will ya?" Sakura said, putting her hand on the side of his face.

"Come on, Naruto. I'll show you how it's done."

"Kakashi…"

I felt the shift in his chakra as he turned towards me, "Stay back for now. Keep an eye on Hoshi and Sakura."

I nodded.

"Woah! What a dodge," Sakura said. I felt the chakra from Itachi's jutsu close by but could also feel Kakashi weaving his way through it.

"He's not done yet!" Kakashi yelled.

I sensed another large sum of chakra heading our way and jumped back into the trees, sensing that the others had done the same. I sensed more chakra building in the palm of Kakashi's hand as well as Naruto's before there was a huge explosion.

"What happened? Did he do it?"

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled.

"Sakura, calm down. He's fine… but…" I frowned, still sensing a third powerful chakra. I sighed, "It seems Itachi is okay as well…" I opened my eyes, seeing Hoshi beside me and Sakura and Chiyo nearby.

"Sensei…" Hoshi said quietly as fog thickened around us. "This isn't-"

I took in some of the chakra and relaxed on instinct as it swirled with the rest of Kakashi's chakra within me. "It's not genjutsu. It's Kakashi's."

He sighed.

"Considering that the mist is betting thicker, so we all need to focus now. You must keep you attention firmly placed on Kakashi's presence."

"Right, I will."

"Kakashi, can we please stop this childish game of hide and seek?" Itachi called out.

Kakashi walked out. "Sure, why not?" He threw kunai at Itachi, but Itachi dodged and did fire ball jutsu, blowing away the fog.

Kakashi hid under the ground and punched Itachi. Itachi grabbed the back of Kakashi's neck and Kakashi grabbed the back of Itachi's.

"Don't tell me Kakashi-sensei is caught in Itachi's genjutsu."

I smirked slightly.

"It all makes sense. Of course my genjutsu has no effect on you. Because you are a shadow clone," Itachi said as Kakashi crawled out of a hole in the ground.

"Attack him and my shadow clone! Now, Naruto!" Kakashi yelled. "Sorami! Back him up!"

I grabbed several kunai from my pouch, not wanting to get hit by Naruto's attack. I tossed the three kunai quickly, _Secret Koike technique: Kojin no jutsu!_ I channeled the chakra into the kunai and they lit up, hitting Itachi just before Naruto.

"Giant Rasengan!"

"I-incredible," Sakura gasped.

"My word, what power."

The rest of us walked over. I stared blankly at the body. It wasn't Itachi.

"What on earth?"

"When we were fighting him I could feel something was off."

I kneeled down beside it, placing my hand around his wrist. It wasn't Itachi's chakra, though some of Itachi's chakra was still present. I frowned, moving my hand up to his chest and feeling the chakra there but it was the same.

"I don't get it, what happened?"

"It has to be… some kind of jutsu," Sakura said.

"But that man…" Lady Chiyo said.

I glanced up at her as I slowly pulled my hand away. "Lady Chiyo, do you know this man?" I asked.

"I do. His name is Yura. And he's a jonin from our own village."

"A sand shinobi?"

"What does this mean?"

"I wish I knew. The poor fool, he went missing after Gaara was abducted during all the disarray…"

"Is it possible he was a spy for the Akatsuki?" Sakura asked.

"No. He served on the council for four years."

"The fire ball jutsu. It was created by the Uchiha clan. It was their specialty. That attack was the real thing," Kakashi said. He looked to me.

I nodded, "It felt like Itachi's chakra, but I never made physical contact so I can't guarantee it was all his… now some of his chakra is still present but it's overwhelmingly this man's own."

Chiyo looked towards me, "That's quite a talent you have. With that and the jutsu you used with those kunai."

I stood, wiping my hands on my pants. "As it is my kekkei genkai, I would hope so."

"Just as I thought. They were trying to stall for time," Chiyo said.

"That's an impressive jutsu they've got."

Hoshi frowned, his eyes narrowing more at the body.

"For them to use a jutsu like this to stall us can mean only one thing. It's worse than I thought. The extraction of the tailed beast is already begun."

I frowned and sighed._ If all this was just to delay us… they must be close to finishing or they would have stayed longer and fought harder… _

"We're out of time," Kakashi said. "We need to get to Gaara right away."

"Wait, hold on," Sakura said. "What do you mean by extraction?"

"They're after the shukaku. If they can draw out the one tail, they can create a new jinchuriki."

"Jinchuriki?" Hoshi asked.

"I told you, didn't I? How the tailed beasts have power beyond all reckoning? And how every land has tried to use them as military weapons? The jinchuriki is the name given to those that control that power."

"But earlier you said-"

"Not for lack of trying. There were of course those who tried to harness that great power for their own purposes. Attempting to control the beasts by sealing them away inside of people. By doing so, they hoped to suppress the tailed beasts great power and then bend that might to their will. And the ones with the tailed beasts sealed inside of them such as our own village's Gaara, are known as jinchuriki… Jinchuriki yield unimaginable power thanks to their resonance with the beasts they carry and if you count Gaara then there have been 3 jinchuriki in the history of the sand village those far." She summoned a puppet bird, handing it a scroll and making it fly off towards the village.

"There were several wars fought using the jinchuriki, weren't there?" Sakura asked.

"That's correct."

"And the people who become jinchuriki-!"

I placed a hand on her shoulder and she glanced towards Naruto who was looking down.

"Alright then. How are the tailed beasts extracted?"

"A couple of things are needed. A sealing jutsu strong enough to counter balance the tailed beasts power, and a lot of time. But for things to reach that point, then the jinchuriki…"

"You mean…" Hoshi started.

"That's right. Once the tailed beast is extracted… they die. The others I mentioned, the jinchuriki who came before Gaara, we extracted the shukaku from them as well… and both died as a result."

Sakura looked away, tearing up slightly.

"You always were quick to cry, huh, Sakura?" Naruto said. "Hey, don't worry. I promise I'm gonna save Gaara."

"Don't you get it?! Naruto, I'm concern-"

"We better hurry," Naruto interrupted, walking away.

The rest of us quickly followed after him.

"Neh… cripple-sensei?" Hoshi asked after a while of silence.

"Yeah, punk?"

"How could you tell Itachi's chakra was used?"

I felt Sakura and Naruto look at me as well. Even Chiyo seemed to keep an ear open.

"When someone is placed under a jutsu, it leaves a sort of footprint. My clan specialized in chakra. We have the ability to take it and manipulate it. As such, I am hyper aware of the chakra in a person's body. So if a jutsu has been cast on someone, and there is a footprint there, I can sense it and pull that smaller amount of chakra to the forefront to try to recognize it. I can get a general idea without touching a person, but through physical touch with certain areas of my body that are better equipped for manipulating chakra, I can essentially do whatever I want with the person's chakra, as well as store the footprint to determine in case I run into it again."

"I've never heard of a clan that could do that before…" Sakura said.

"Probably because the rest of my clan is dead or in hiding without the trait."

"You there! You're from the Koike clan then?"

I nodded. "You've heard of them?"

"There were a few of you in Suna. They were very skilled ninja, if not annoyingly proper."

Kakashi laughed and I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, they could be like that sometimes."

"I've never heard of a Koike Kunoichi though…"

"You wouldn't. As far as I know, I'm the first, last, and only one. As you said, my clan was proper. Proper meant the women did not work as ninja. It was unheard of. My mother was killed when I was still young so I had the pleasure of being able to defy my clan's teachings and beliefs before they sucked me in as well."

"Stop here!" Kakashi called.

"Why?! What is it, Kakashi-sensei? What's wrong?" Naruto asked.

"We're taking a short break."

"That's a very wise decision."

"What do you mean?! Come on, you were the one saying we couldn't waste anymore time! If we just lay around here doing nothing, Gaara's going to be-"

"Naruto!" Kakashi interrupted. "Our pace has slowed since we faced off against that bogus Itachi."

I walked towards the two of them, "He's right, Naruto…"

"Ane-chan?"

"If we keep going like this we'll keep slowing down," I said. "But if we rest and take a short break, we'll arrive sooner."

"Keep in mind," Kakashi said, "tomorrow we may end up facing the guys who kidnapped Gaara. We'll need our full strength."

"Yeah, alright I understand."

_"Look at me."_

_ I turned my head away._

_ "Look. At. Me," He grabbed my head, forcing me to face him and I closed my eyes tightly. "I. Said. Look at me!" He screamed slapping me._

_ My head fell to the side and I didn't bother turning it back. _

_ He grabbed my chin and forced his lips onto mine. His hands felt like sandpaper against my cheek and his lips were chapped and scratchy. He pulled away for a moment to kiss my jaw line._

_ I stayed still and limp. "Please stop," I whispered. He ignored me, trailing his kisses down my neck. A tear fell from my eye. "Please…" I felt his hand trailing down and a sob left me. "Tenshi… please stop… I do not wish for this. You do not wish for this…"_

_ "I need this, Sorami… please… just let me have this…"_

_ "I cannot…"_

_ He slapped me again. "You don't have a choice!"_

_ I closed my eyes. "What would Kira think?" I whispered. I cried out at the next slap, obviously chakra enhanced. I reached up to hold my face but Tenshi grabbed my wrists._

_ "You have no right to speak her name! I will kill you! I will make you beg for mercy!"_

_ "I have seen Kira. She would hate you now. She would despise you for what you are doing!"_

_ He punched me hard. "Shut up! Shut up!"_

_ I coughed, trying to get air and breath through the blood pooling in my mouth._

I woke up gasping for breath. Kakashi glanced over at me.

"Are you okay?" He whispered, walking over to me.

I nodded, "Just a… bad dream."

He gave me a look. "Tenshi?"

I frowned but nodded again.

He sat down next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"I'll probably be up the rest of the night… why don't you get some sleep? I'll keep watch."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded, "No use in having you lose sleep when you don't need to."

"Wake me in an hour. We'll leave at a few hours before dawn." He kissed my cheek, leaning his head back against the tree and quickly falling asleep.

I smiled at him, gently brushing his hair back. I leaned my head against his shoulder and sighed. I activated my kekkei genkai, helping me to sense any chakra in a farther range.

I actually enjoyed keeping watch. It was quiet other than the crickets and crackling fire… and Hoshi's snores. The hour passed quickly and quietly. I gently shook Kakashi's shoulder to wake him. As usual for a mission (though unusual for any other time) he was awake immediately. He sighed and stood, stretching his arm a little. Chiyo was already awake, watching the fire.

"Okay, you two, wake up! We're heading out."

The three of them groaned and I smiled lightly at them.

"In a minute…" Naruto said, rolling over. "Just give me a minute more…"

"I thought you were going to save Gaara?" Kakashi said.

Naruto immediately jumped up, "You bet I'm going to save him!"

I walked over to Hoshi who was pretending to be asleep. I grabbed the blanket off of him and then grabbed his pillow. "Some pretending to sleep, punk. We've got work to do!"  
>He groaned, "But, cripple-sensei…"<p>

"Hoshi," I warned, "do you want me to use you as target practice when we get back?"

He sat up, quickly shoving his things into his backpack and standing. He smiled innocently, "Ready to go, cripple-sensei."

I grabbed his neck lightly, pushing his head down, "You punk."


	5. Chapter 5

Team Gai was already at the hideout by the time we arrived.

"Late as usual, Kakashi."

"Well, you see, we ran into a little trouble on the way."

"Naruto! Sakura! Hoshi!"

"Wait, a minute… by a little trouble, you didn't mean me, did you?" Lady Chiyo asked.

"We're not that late, Gai," I said, smiling, "In fact, for Kakashi, I'd say we're still rather early."

Gai laughed loudly. "That is the truth, Sorami!"

"Who's the old lady?" Tenten asked.

"Oh!" Sakura said, "This is Lady Chiyo. She's an advisor from the sand village."

"Very pleased to meet you!"  
>"Well then," Gai said, looking towards Kakashi and me, "Let's do this, you two."<p>

"Right," Kakashi said as I nodded.

"Inside it looks like there's a large cavern but…" Neji started, activating his byakugan.

"But what?"

"I just… can't quite make out what's going on in there… I see several people…"

"Neji! What about Gaara?! What's happening?! Is he one of the people you see?!" Naruto yelled, shaking Neji.

"Back off a second! I'm trying to locate him now."

"Neji!"

"Take it easy!"

"Neji, what is it?! What's going on in there?!"

"Let go of me."

I gently grabbed Naruto's arm pulling him back towards me. "Calm down, Naruto. We need you to be calm."

Neji deactivated his byakugan.

"Well?" Sakura asked, "What did you see?"

"It's hard to describe with words…"

"Wait," Tenten said, "So that would mean…"

"Yes! It means that whatever it is we will have to go see it for ourselves."

"That makes things easy, doesn't it?" Gai said backing up a distance before raising his fist.

I frowned, "Gai, I'm not sure that-"

"Coming through!" He yelled, running toward the rock. He punched it and pebbles fell from the top of the cliff but nothing happened to the rock. "Quite a barrier."

I pinched my nose, closing my eyes, and sighed. "Maybe next time we should listen, eh, Gai?"

"What is your plan?"

"Well, Lee, it's pretty obvious we need to get rid of that barrier," Gai said.

"And how do we do that?"

"Before we can even thing about breaking through," Sakura said. "We should know what kind of barrier it is."

"That's right. So… figure out the type of barrier, that's step one, right, Kakashi?"

"Yeah…"

"What do you think?" Chiyo asked.

Kakashi glanced towards me.

"Five seal?" I suggested.

"That could be it."

"I agree with you two."

"Five seal barrier?" Naruto asked.

"It's a strong layer of protection in which five tags with the word 'forbidden' written on them are fastened around the area that's being guarded. One forbidden tag is in front of us and four more must be in other locations."

"Can't we just pull them off?"

"It's not that easy. The tags are in five different places," Kakashi said. "If you don't remove all five of the seals at the same time, you can't remove the barrier."

"We need to locate the other four and coordinate ourselves to pull them at precisely the same amount of time," I said. "Neji, with your byakugan, you should be able to locate the other seals… we'll do a signal and pull them at the same time."

He nodded, activating his byakugan. "I found them," he said a few moments later.

"Neji, where are they?!" Naruto yelled.

"One's on top of a boulder about 500 meters northeast of here. The second one is on a tree trunk in a gorge, 350 meters south-southeast. The third one is on a Cliffside, 600 meters to the northwest. And the last is in a forest almost 800 meters southwest of here. Those are the locations."

"In which case," Sakura said, "they're pretty far away. What's the signal going to be?"

"There's no problem there. These wireless radios can cover those distances."

"Wireless radios, huh?"

"I see."

"So, we'll get directions from Neji and find those seals. My team will remove the seals. If this is a race against the clock, then my team's the quickest." Gai set up the radio and put it in his ear. He frowned glancing at Kakashi and I, only having one headset left.

"Give it to Kakashi. I have other ways of contacting him if we get separated."

He nodded, handing it over to Kakashi.

"I'm counting on you!"

"Okay! Lee will head towards the forest in the northwest. Neji will head towards the boulder in the northeast. And Tenten will head towards the one in the south-southeast. I'll take the cliff in the northwest. I'm positive that will be the most difficult one to reach."

"What's your frequency?" Kakashi asked.

"It's 174."

"Everyone can you hear me!" Lee screamed.

I smiled under my mask, laughing silently as everyone freaked out at the noise.

"Lee, you have your mic turned on too high!" Tenten yelled at him.

"I am sorry!" Lee yelled.

Hoshi began cracking up as even Kakashi started twitching from the loud noise. I hit him on the back of the head, "Shut up, punk."

"Awe, come on, cripple-sensei. This is funny, even _you_ have to admit that."

I leaned down towards him, "I would say hilarious actually."

Hoshi grinned up at me.

"Lee! Hey, Lee!"

"I am sorry…" He said turning the mic down.

"The wireless radio settings are good to go," Tenten said.

"Okay! Team Gai…" After a lot of… grunting… they all put their hands in, "Fight with the full power of youth! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! And one more fight! Now!" They jumped off.

"They are the weirdest team ever," Hoshi said.

"Aren't you glad you got me as your sensei now?" I said.

"Nehhh, that's still questionable."

"You punk!" I yelled hitting him in the back of the head so that he fell over.

"Senseiiiiii," he whined.

"If you two are done…" Kakashi said.

I turned to him and smiled innocently, "Yeah, yeah. Like you don't bully your students, Kakashi." I noticed Hoshi standing and smacked him back down.

"Help… me…" He said as I pushed him under the water.

Kakashi rolled his eyes jumping onto the boulder above the seal. "The same time the seals are removed, Sakura will destroy the boulder in the entrance. That's our cue to break in and retrieve Gaara."

Hoshi got out of the water and spit a mouthful of water at me. I frowned. "Watch yourself, punk."

"We go in with the button hook entry," Kakashi said before tearing off the seal and jumping back. Sakura ran at the boulder, destroying it.

My brows rose, _Wow… she sure has grown…_

Kakashi made a signal and the six of us jumped in. My face fell seeing Gaara on the ground, the Akatsuki members sitting on him.

_Lord Kazekage… we came too late… I'm sorry…_

"So then, I wonder which one is the Jinchuuriki…"

"You bastards! I'm going to kill you!" Naruto yelled.

"The one who screams and charges first… Is that him?"

"It looks like it," the blonde said.

"You bastards! Where the hell do you think you're sitting!" Naruto yelled.

I glanced towards Kakashi, hoping he would keep Naruto in check and he gave me a slight nod.

"Well…so much for that mystery. He's the jinchuriki. The first thing he'll do is scream and charge at you. Seriously, Itachi was right on the money, huh, un?"

"Gaara! How can you be asleep at a time like this?! Stand up! Gaara! Hey, Gaara?! Are you listening to me?! Stop it already!

"Enough, Naruto!" Kakashi yelled. "You already know…"

"Your friend's right, and you know it too. He's been dead for a while now," The blonde said hitting Gaara's cheek.

"Well…"

"He's definitely the Jinchuuriki."

"Give him back! Give Gaara back, you bastards!" Naruto growled and ran at them.

"Naruto!" I yelled.

Kakashi jumped in front of him. "Calm down. Charge in without thinking and we're done for."

"What wrong, Sasori no Danna?" The blonde asked as the other member… Sasori looked over at him.

"I'll take him."

"Huh?"

"It seems that this Jinchuuriki wants to take him back."

"Looks like it… Danna, you might get pissed at me or saying this but… I'll just go ahead and say it anyway, I think I'll take care of the Jinchuriki."

"Each of us gets our own. Don't get cocky, Deidara."

"An artist must always seek greater stimulation. Lest his senses go dull on him, Danna. Rumor has it the nine tails jinchuriki is pretty powerful. A canvas truly worthy of my artistry."

"What? Those pyrotechnics of yours, art? Art is a work of beauty, captured and left for posterity. Art is eternal beauty."

Hoshi glanced up at me looking and whispered, "Sensei, should we-"

I shook my head at him.

"Eternal beauty? Are you kidding me? Look, don't get me wrong, as a fellow artist, I respect you point of view, but true art if fleeting, a flash a beauty, a flash of beauty burning brightly and then vanishing in a heartbeat, hn."

"What did you say?"

"I-I don't get it," Sakura said. "What's with them?"

I frowned, glancing towards Kakashi. I trusted Kakashi to have a plan here… but they were distracted with their little argument. I took another glance his way. _There must be a reason he's holding back for the moment…_

"Apparently, Deidara, one of us doesn't understand what _true_ art is."

"That would be you, Danna."

"You lousy rotten-"

"Nonsense, eternal beauty is what constitutes _real_ art."

"Don't be absurd. True art only lasts a moment."

"Enough is enough!" Naruto yelled, throwing a fuuma shuriken at Sasori. Sasori blocked it with his tail.

"Are you _trying_ to make me angry?" He said, practically ignoring Naruto's attack.

"Hey, easy. I told you you wouldn't want to hear it. Gimme a break will ya."

"I don't have to tell you what happens when I get angry do I? Why don't you explain it to me again, Deidara."

"Art is one thing, and one thing only. The explosion itself," Deidara said tossing a clay bird up and doing a hand sign. The clay bird grew and picked up Gaara in its mouth. "It's not even in the same league compared to your grotesque puppet show."

Sasori tried to hit Deidara with his tail, but Deidara jumped onto the bird.

"See you around, Danna." Deidara said flying away. Naruto ran after him.

"Naruto!" Kakashi yelled running after him. He stopped a the entrance of the cave. "Naruto and I will handle the one outside. Sakura, Lady Chiyo, Sorami, you handle the one inside."

"But don't take any unnecessary risks. Wait for team Gai to come back!"

"Got it!" Sakura said.

I nodded and activated my kekkei genkai, feeling how tense Kakashi's chakra was.

"Hoshi, you go with Naruto and Kakashi help them in anyway you can and then go back up Team Gai."

"But, sensei-"

"Go."

"I don't want to leave you here where I can't-"

I glared at him, "Hoshi! I gave you an order!"

"Hai, Sorami-sensei," he whispered before taking off after Kakashi.

"I thought you retired a long time ago," Sasori said to Chiyo.

"I had a sudden desire to see my grandson's face," She said.

I heard Sakura's slight gasp and glanced toward her, taking a few steps closer to the two of them. I gave her a slight nod in reassurance.

"Sakura, don't be frightened," Chiyo said, "I'll fight him. Both of you stay back." She pulled out a string of kunai, "Sou Shuu Jin!" The kunai flew towards Sasori who blocked them with his tail.

"If you're going to oppose me, then I have no choice." He tore his cloak off. "Will you become part of my collection along with that brat, Grandma Chiyo?"

"W-What is that?" Sakura asked.

I eyed the black that was covered in a wooden face and frowned. _It's a puppet… which means the real Sasori is controlling it from somewhere…_ I activated my kenseite. _No… his chakra is coming from the puppet so he must be-_

"That's not Sasori's real body."

"I can kind of tell it's not," Sakura said.

"Yes… that's… a puppet."

"But where's his real body? Puppet masters are supposed to be pulling the strings from behind, right?"

"I believe he's inside the puppet," I said, looking to Chiyo.

She nodded, "Yes, his real body is inside that. Puppet masters have trouble with close-range combat. After all, when controlling a puppet, they are prone to openings… That puppet there has basically surmounted that problem. It acts as a shield as well as a weapon. It's Sasori's specialty, Hiruko."

"Lady Chiyo… about that puppet…"

"I know a lot about it."

"Do you know how I make my collection?" Sasori interrupted. "First, I pull out the organs… Then after I've washed the body nice and clean, I extract the blood. Once I've prepared the body so it won't decay, I fill it with hidden weapons and then… it becomes a complete addition to my puppet collection. Just as the old woman said, this form you see, Hiruko, is part of my collection. And with the little girl, the scrawny kunoichi, and Granny Chiyo added, I'll have exactly three hundred in my collection."

"Art, huh?"

"Lady Chiyo?"

"Back when he was in the Hidden Sand Village, he was called a master craftsman and he built many excellent puppets. But he devoted most of his energy into turning people into puppets and collecting them. He calls that 'art'. And that puppet, Hiruko, used to be a shinobi from another village. He was turning into that form you see there by Sasori, he turned into a 'human puppet' while still maintaining his original human form."

"That's what will happen to you very soon. You'll become one of my works of art," Sasori said.

"Hiruko is a puppet with great attack and defense. Be that as it may, first we need to extract Sasori out of Hiruko."

"How do you suggest we do that, Lady Chiyo?" I asked. I was a good planner, sure, but Chiyo knew Sasori's techniques and mannerisms better than I, and combative strategy wasn't my strongest skill.

"The most frightening thing about a puppet is their hidden weapon. If we can't figure out what they are then we won't be able to tell where and how he'll attack."

"But Lady Chiyo, you know a lot about the mechanisms of that puppet… we've got the edge."

Chiyo nodded. "That's why I thought I could take him on by myself at first. But… it doesn't look like it'll work."

"What do you mean?"

"It has a different form than the Hiruko puppet I used to know. First of all, he didn't have a shell like that on his back. He probably has a better ability to guard now. And it's the first time I've seen that left arm. In which case, his most important hidden weapon mechanism might also have improved. In order to defeat Sasori, first we must destroy that Hiruko. However, I don't have that kind of destructive power. But, Sakura… you do. That incredible strength Tsunade personally taught you. Listen carefully, Sakura. First, get close to him… and smash the puppet with your incredible strength."

Sakura nodded.

"However, you must dodge all of his hidden device attacks. All of them, perfectly! You must not even get a scratch."

"Poison, right?"

"That's right… Even a scratch can turn into a fatal wound. In order to dodge his attacks, you must figure out the tricks to the hidden weapons of the master craftsman's puppet. And you must also immediately access how to dodge his attacks."

"I don't think I can do either at all…"

"Indeed… in order to do that, a lot of actual battle experience is required."

"Lady Chiyo," I said, my hand already reaching towards my katana, "What if-"

"Not just yet, Sorami. What do I look like to you two? Just an unreliable old bag? Leave it to me, I have much more actual battle experience than he does. And he knows that. That's why he doesn't attempt to attack carelessly. This man who so hates waiting for people and besides… I made the first move. Sakura, Sorami, lend me your ears… we will defeat him!" She began telling us her plan quietly so Sasori would not overhear.

"I understand," Sakura said.

"Are you about ready? You know I hate to be kept waiting, don't you?"

"Rest easy. We'll put an end to this soon."

I grabbed my katana and the three of us ran towards him, dodging the senbon the puppet spat out at us until finally it seemed as if the puppet had run out. We paused until there was a creaking sound. I tensed, preparing to jump out of the way. More senbon shot from the wood in the puppets left arm and I carefully avoided each one. I jumped back as Sakura ran forward and Sasori's tail stopped just a few inches from her. I smirked under my mask.

"Now, Sakura! Smash him!"

I felt the chakra focusing in her fist as she swung her fist forward into the puppet. The puppet shattered and Sasori jumped back.

"So you've finally come out, huh?"

Sakura gasped, "That's his real body."

"I've come this far to see my grandson's face. After 20 years, what say we face each other?"

The head of the puppet started moving again, shooting senbon towards Sakura. Chiyo quickly pulled back.

"As I thought. Just what I'd expect from my old granny. No wonder this little girl was able to dodge my hidden weapons. After all, the old lady who can see past my attacks was controlling the little girl with Chakra threads used for the puppet master jutsus. Though I wonder why she didn't use them on scrawny one. Perhaps that one has more experience. What's more, you were so kind as to attach threads of chakra to Hiruko's tail. But to think I'd notice after the tail's motion had been brought to a halt. It was when you first attacked with the kunai, wasn't it? Threads of chakra attached to the kunai latched onto the tail."

"I suppressed my chakra as much as possible so as not to be seen, and yet you still figured it out. I'm amazed."

"But of course. After all, the one who happened the principles of puppetry into me was… none other than you."

"But the show ends today."

"That is my intention as well," Sasori said. He pulled the cloak off and my eyes widened. He was… just a kid… how could that even be possible…? "Well then, will things proceed as simply as that, I wonder… Granny Chiyo?"

"Granny Chiyo? Is he… is he Sasori?" Sakura asked.

"What is going on?"


	6. Chapter 6

I panted, lowering my katana a few inches. I ran towards Sakura, supporting her as we walked towards Chiyo. I closed my eyes and focused on the chakra in the cave as we walked. I could feel Sakura's chakra low, and Chiyo's even lower and Sasori's-_Sasori's?!_ My eyes shot open and I tightened my grip on my katana. "Lady Chiyo, Sakura, we have a problem-"

They both froze as I was interrupted by creaking. We turned towards the puppet to see it putting itself back together.

"What did you do?"

"That's right," Chiyo said, connecting a chakra strand to her arm. "The fight is just beginning. This is a jutsu I myself sealed…" She pulled a scroll from her bag, "I didn't think I'd ever use it again. But it seems it won't work out that way. Now let's put an end to this." Ten puppets appeared around her.

"It's said that the skill of a puppet master is determined by the number of puppets they can use," Sasori said, "I'd expect no less from you, Grandma."

"T-there's so many."

"Granny Chiyo's secret 'Number of Fingers'. I'd heard rumors about it. The device you used to bring down a castle by yourself. The secret white move: Chikamatsu's 10 puppets. The ten masterpieces by Monzaemon, the first puppeteer of the puppet master jutsu. It's a great collection of puppets. However…" He pulled out a scroll before opening a panel on his chest. Hundreds of puppets flew from the scroll. I gasped. "I… used this to bring down a nation! I'm appalled at myself. How long am I going to have to fight a little girl, a scrawny kunoichi, and an old bag…? I never thought I'd have to bring out my final device… Secret Red Move: Hyakki no Sōen. I'll show you."

Sakura ran towards Chiyo, healing her side slightly.

"Sakura… the effects of your antidote have worn off. Stay out of this. Let Sorami and I handle the rest."

She smiled, "You should already know my personality!"

"That's right… You've inherited Tsunade's personality as well. But let's make this the final act. Are you two ready?"

"Yes!"

"Here he comes!" Sasori's puppets charged towards us.

I smirked slightly under my mask, tugging off one of my gloves. I ran forward, grabbing one of Sasori's chakra threads and draining chakra through it, forcing him to release it. I quickly slid my katana back into its place, ducking under a puppet. _Secret Koike technique: kojin no jutsu!_ My glowed hand lit up and I smashed it through several puppets, leaving burning holes through their center. I pulled out three of my specially made kunai, spreading my kojin no jutsu onto them and throwing them towards three puppets that were rushing towards me. I jumped up and flipped over them, brushing my gloveless hand against the chakra threads, taking more chakra from Sasori. I kept running forwards, trying to keep the puppets off Sakura's back so she could get close to Sasori.

I heard a yell from behind me and turned, "Lady Chiyo!"

"Are you okay, Granny Chiyo?" Sakura asked.

"You don't need to worry about me! More importantly, aim for Sasori. I'll keep the other puppets in check! Sorami, cover her!"

I nodded.

Sakura ran forward, surrounded by Chiyo's puppets and I ran just behind her, blocking attacks from them. She threw the puppet head Chiyo had handed to her towards him and it forced him against the wall.

"We did it…"

"You can't move," Lady Chiyo said. "That's seal completely suppresses any chakra. You can't use your chakra threads anymore. You're done, Sasori." Chiyo fell to her knees and Sakura and I raced over.

"Granny Chiyo! Use the antidote!"

We saw one of the puppets stand back up and ran harder towards Chiyo. The puppet raised the sword, preparing to kill Chiyo. I saw Sakura's plan just before she acted on it and pushed her aside. "Sakura, no!" She stumbled, falling near Chiyo as the sword went through my stomach. I bit down on my cheek, leaning my head down in pain. "Don't… make stupid decisions, Sakura. Are you okay? Both of you?"

"You're worrying about other people even with this wound?" Sasori asked.

"I've had worse," I said, with a smile. "What's another scar to add to my collection?"

He shifted the sword slightly and I bit my tongue. "Your teammate's a medical ninja… even if you don't understand the situation she must at least."

"I understand the situation just fine. Doesn't… change the fact that… I've recovered from worse wounds."

"You're courageous, but how long can you hold on?" He shifted the sword again and I closed my eyes, gritting my teeth.

"Sakura, make sure Lady Chiyo takes that antidote. I'll be fine." My hand twitched. _Secret Koike technique: kojin no jutsu…_ I placed my hand on the sword in front of me. The heat from the star raised the temperature of the blade until it was burning. I let out a nearly silent groan as I felt it burning me but at least it would cauterize the wound and stop the bleeding. The jutsu flickered out a few seconds later.

"The poison is starting to take effect," Sasori said.

My hand twitched on the blade but I couldn't focus my chakra enough to do anything. I felt a prick in my calf and turned to see Chiyo holding the antidote there. "Lady… Chiyo…"

Sasori detached the arm holding the sword in me and ran at the two of them, "Die!"

He stopped just a few feet from them, two swords through his heart piece. I glanced back towards Chiyo.

"You lowered your guard at the end, Sasori. Now you can't move. Am I right? Although you may have the body of a puppet, you use chakra so you need a part that's living… that's your weakness. And just that part from your left chest is missing from that shell. It was probably right before the jutsu was completed. You switched to a different puppet. The body of a puppet is basically just a doll. Your real body is that chest part that produces chakra…"

I bit my cheek again as I swayed on my feet, falling down to my knees. I tugged my mask to my neck, coughing blood. "Sakura… I need to… pull this out and I'm going to need you to stop the bleeding… as I do so."

"Sorami…"  
>"Now, Sakura," I said quietly.<p>

She moved towards me and I placed my hands on the sword. I felt a hand go over mine and looked up to see Chiyo. "Let me help."

I nodded silently and bit down hard on my lip as she slowly pulled it out and Sakura healed the wound.

"It's pointless," Sasori said. "I hit a vital spot. Even without the poison, she'll be dead soon. I aimed for a spot neither of you can easily heal."

I let out a quiet groan as the sword was fully removed before looking towards the puppet, "Can you just… die… already?"

Chiyo started helping Sakura heal the wound. "What I'm doing right now isn't medical ninjutsu…"

I grabbed her hand in mine, "Lady Chiyo, don't…"

"What?"

"I'm giving her my own life energy."

"Don't tell me…"

"It's a reanimation jutsu. It's a jutsu I spent years creating originally for you… one that only I can use. With this jutsu, life can be breathed even into puppets. In exchanged for the life of the caster that is… In hindsight, it's a dream that won't be realized…"

"How stupid. When did you grow senile, Grandma?"

I blinked tiredly, "Lady Chiyo…"

"Sorami. Are you okay?"

I nodded, "Are the two of you okay?"

They both nodded.

"That's strange, I though the caster of that reanimation ninjutsu or whatever was supposed to die in exchange for breathing life into someone dead."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Sasori," I said quietly. "I wasn't quite dead yet."

"That's unfortunate."

Sakura punched him.

"I'd stop that. This body doesn't even feel pain. The more you hit me, the greater the pain in your fist. Women sure like to do stuff that's pointless. I won't feel anything, even if my blood related grandmother should die. My heart is just like this body. Up until now, I've killed hundreds, thousands of people. She'd be the same as one of them. Things are simpler that way."

"Just what do you think a person's life is to you, huh?! What do you think a relative is to you?!" Sakura yelled.

I stood slowly and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it slightly.

"Come on… is that what a shinobi should be saying?"

"Why… Why can you only think like that?"

"Sakura," Chiyo said. "That's enough."

"But-"

"It was the evil customs and teachings of the Hidden Sand Village that made him what he is."

"Do you want to have a body like this?" Sasori asked. "If you did, you'd probably somewhat understand what I'm talking about. This body won't decay and it's not bound to a span of life. A puppet can be recreated over and over again. I can create as many people as I want with puppets. It's not just about increasing the amount. A collection is all about quality."

"What the hell are you?!"

"I'd venture to say I'm a human who couldn't completely become… a puppet. I'm a puppet, but an incomplete puppet possessing a living core. I'm not a person… nor am I a puppet. I'll soon stop moving. Before that, I think I'll do something pointless… It's your reward for defeating me. You wanted to know about Orochimaru, right? At midday in ten days, go to the Tenchi Bridge located in the Village Hidden in the Grass."

"What do you mean?"

"I've got a spy working… as one of Orochimaru's subordinates… I was supposed to rendezvous… with him… there." With that, the puppet stopped moving.

"It's over," Sakura said. "Excellent work."

"No. I was the one who should've… been defeated."

"Lady Chiyo…"

"Sasori read my final attack. But for some reason he didn't dodge it. A slight opening was revealed."

"Could it be that he…?"

"We should get going," I said quietly, feeling Kakashi's chakra focusing on his mangekyou through our bond. "Kakashi, Hoshi, and Naruto may need our assistance."

I helped Chiyo stand and we slowly made our way to the entrance of the cave. She stumbled slightly, falling forward and I kneeled beside her. "Lady Chiyo, are you alright?"

Sakura ran over, "Granny Chiyo! I'll heal you now." She lifted her arm and started healing her. She glanced towards me over Chiyo's head with a frown.

I nodded to her. There wasn't much we could do until we were back at Suna and near the needed medicines.

"Let's hurry back to the village," Sakura said. "I'll make another antidote immediately…"

"No…"

"Why?! We've finished what we were supposed to do. We need to return to the village and neutralize the poison immediately…"

"You two can go back to the village, Lady Chiyo. I can back up the others on my own."

"No… More importantly… there's still something I must… do."

I slid my arm around Chiyo's waist. "Let's go then. The sooner we finish that, the sooner we can get you healed."

We walked out of the cave. "This way," I said, moving to the right.


End file.
